Oman, led by their new coach Jaraslov Silhavy, showcased their confidence in Kuala Lumpur as they triumphed over Malaysia with a 2-0 victory in the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
Similar to their previous home match in Muscat, the Red Warriors replicated their success in Group D. With precise and controlled moves, Oman surprised the hosts by scoring in the additional times of both the first and second halves, securing all three points.
Omar al Malki, through a penalty, and Mohammed al Ghafri were the goal scorers for Oman on both occasions. Their exceptional performance in Kuala Lumpur elevates Oman's points tally to nine, placing them on par with Kyrgyz Republic, who defeated Chinese Taipei 5-1. However, Kyrgyz Republic currently leads Group D with a superior goal average.
The game commenced with a menacing break from the home team as midfielder Arif Aiman skillfully stole the ball from Oman defender Mohammed al Musallami, advancing towards the goal area.
Reacting swiftly, Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini intercepted Arif's pass into the goalmouth, preventing an imminent threat from Darren Lok.
Oman launched their first significant attack in the eighth minute, with Jameel al Yahmadi narrowly missing the left post with a powerful left-footed strike inside the Malaysian box.
In the 13th minute, Mohsin al Ghassani struggled to control a well-executed cross near the Malaysian goal post from the left flank.
Jameel received another excellent pass from Mohsin in the 18th minute, but struggled to maintain control of the ball in front of the Malaysian goalpost.
Recognizing the vulnerabilities in the Malaysian defense, coach Pan-Gon Kim made an early substitution, replacing Azam Azmi with Daniel Ting in the 26th minute.
In the 33rd minute, Jameel was once again involved in the action, delivering a well-placed pass into the box for Mohsin, only to be cleared by a timely intervention from Malaysian goalkeeper Siyahan Azmi.
Oman's Salah al Yahyaei took a powerful shot from outside the box in the 41st minute, which was deflected away by goalkeeper Azmi. Mohsin attempted to capitalize on the rebound, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
Just three minutes later, Mohsin skillfully headed in a lob from Salah al Yahyaei, but goalkeeper Siyahan pulled off an impressive back-curving save to maintain a clean sheet.
In the dying moments of the first half, Mohsin redeemed himself for his earlier misses by drawing a foul from Malaysian goalkeeper Azmi, who was subsequently booked with a yellow card.
Omar al Malki confidently converted the penalty kick (45+4) by placing the ball in the center of the Malaysian net to give his team the lead.
At the beginning of the second half, Malaysia made a substitution, bringing in Brendan Gan for Syamer Kutty Abba.
The second half saw a powerful strike from Salah al Yahyaei just outside the Malaysian box, hitting the left post and resulting in a corner after the goalkeeper cleared the rebound in the 51st minute.
Malaysia posed a threat to Oman's goal in the 63rd minute following a corner kick, which was eventually cleared for another corner.
Oman's Czech coach Jaroslav Silhavy made his first substitutions in the 65th minute, with Zahir al Aghbari replacing Jameel al Yahmadi and Abdul Rahman al Mushaifri coming on for Salah al Yahyaei.
Malaysia made a substitution in the 73rd minute, bringing in Paulo Josue for Stuart Wilkin in search of an equaliser.
Silhavy made a double change in the 75th minute, with Mohammed al Ghafri replacing Mohsin al Ghassani and Hatem Sultan replacing Omer al Malki.
Oman came close to doubling the score in the 80th minute when Mohammed al Ghafri took a shot near the Malaysian penalty area, hitting the side bar and being saved by the keeper.
Al Ghafri received a yellow card in the 84th minute for a rough tackle.
In additional time (90+4), Oman secured the win for the second time with Mohammed al Ghafri scoring a left-footed shot from the centre of the box after an assist by Abdullah Fawaz.
